Lunch with a Soldier and Happy Veteran's Day

I had a wonderful lunch with a soldier yesterday. He is in town on R & R until Thursday and then he heads back to Iraq. His job in Iraq is building bridges. Sounds simple, doesn't it? I was amazed at the details you have to cover if you are building a bridge in a war zone. Things like tying down all the supplies so the locals won't steal them, guarding the area 24/7, and answering questions by villagers regarding what is going on. Very complex.

I am also amazed how soldiers are so humble. This soldier had the attitude "Well, it's just my job." He was very soft spoken and oh so polite. I am so proud of all our military.

Andy is in Iraq until May or June next year. He will not be home again until that time. As we talked about the holidays coming up his expression became more reflective as he thought about not being home with his family. After all, isn't that what makes a holiday so special?

His mother, Susan, reminds me so much of me when Shane was in Iraq. As Andy and I would visit Susan would glance at her son and tears would form. I know she was thinking "In two days he will be gone again." R & R is so bittersweet. You have them for such a short time and the entire time you should be making memories, you are thinking "He'll be gone in just a few days." In a way, it's hard to enjoy R & R. I know Susan was going through all that. When Andy left this past summer I gave Susan my yellow ribbon magnet and also my treasured "Half my heart is in Iraq" magnet. Both were good luck so she proudly displays them on her car.

Did you know today was Veteran's Day? I'm sure you did. Happy Veteran's Day Shane and Godspeed Andy.


VETERAN'S DAY
(Source:http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/veteransday.htm)

"Many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America sets aside to honor American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat. That's not quite true. Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor America's war dead.

Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors ALL American veterans, both living and dead. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for dedicated and loyal service to their country. November 11 of each year is the day that we ensure veterans know that we deeply appreciate the sacrifices they have made in the lives to keep our country free."